Within BHA, there is a major stigma associated with school socio-emotional counseling. It’s often seen as being solely for problematic students. However, counseling is not simply for kids in extreme situations; it is for everyday problems and everyday vents. To address this stigma, new social emotional counselor Ms. Einas Alabd has formed the “Counseling Corner.” Ms. Einas’ Counseling Corner is a safe space for students of all grades across middle and high school.
Several students such as junior Zia Zaidani attest to the welcoming and comforting nature of the Counseling Corner. Ms. Einas also describes how students have called her office a “heaven.” She lists that students during the day might “feel overwhelmed, stressed, or upset with a teacher,” and that’s when they can come to the Counseling Corner. Ms. Einas promises a safe space with no judgement. She acknowledges that a major issue within BHA is parents’ tendency to have high academic expectations of students, which often overwhelms them and sometimes progresses to students having mental breakdowns. However, Ms. Einas also recognizes other issues like friendship problems and feelings of not belonging, which are more common among students than most might think. In the Counseling Corner, no problem or emotion is considered insignificant or worthless.
Ms. Einas also promises complete confidentiality within the Counseling Corner. She emphasizes that whatever is talked about within her office remains there. She assures that even if she sees a situation as being dangerous enough to mention to other people, she wouldn’t “go behind their back” without getting permission. Her confidentiality policy is what makes the Counseling Corner such a safe space, where students can truly vent without worrying about it getting passed around.
There are many things in addition to the confidentiality policy that make the Counseling Corner so compelling to students. The most prominent of such characteristics is Ms. Einas’s calm and friendly nature, naturally making students feel more comfortable communicating with her. She focuses on building trust and bonds with students, indicating just how much Ms. Einas cares about every student. Additionally, the Counseling Corner has a multitude of stress relief tools, including high quality fidget toys and coloring books. Junior Zia Zaidani comments, saying,”I love how welcoming Ms. Einas is and how her door is always open for anyone and everyone. I also love how we can come to her room whenever to let go of stress, especially with the fidget toys and snacks in her room.” Ms. Einas makes sure that these mindfulness tools are kept well-stocked, making them available to all students even if they don’t have anything to talk about.
The Counseling Corner is always available to students. If the student is in extreme emotional distress during class, they must first tell their teacher to notify Ms. Einas because of the urgency of the situation. However, if it’s not an emergency, students can come by during lunch or even during the last few uneventful minutes of class (with teacher permission of course).
School counseling is available to all students. The new Counseling Corner is a safe space for students no matter the size of the issue. As a community, we must work together to eliminate the stigma around what could be a significant step forward in supporting students’ mental health and emotional well-being.
For further questions, make sure to visit Ms. Einas Alabd in the Counseling Corner, or email her at [email protected].
